 The new head of the Palestine Liberation Organization's mainstream Fatah faction arrived here Saturday for talks with Syrian officials on Palestinian efforts to resume peace talks with Israel. Farouk Kaddoumi told reporters after arriving from neighboring Jordan that his visit was aimed at "strengthening our negotiation position in order to establish a lasting and just peace" with Israel. Kaddoumi, who was the PLO's political chief under the late Yasser Arafat, said the Palestinians must discuss with Syria future efforts to achieving peace with Israel. "There must be a new stage through which we have to discuss the peace track, in particular, with our [Syrian] brothers," Kaddoumi said.
| It's interesting that he's talking about negotiations and not booming... |
Kaddoumi, appointed Fatah's head in the Palestinian leadership reshuffle that followed Yasser Arafat's death, was an outspoken opponent of the 1993 Oslo agreement that gave the Palestinians the right to establish an independent state. The Palestinian official, who is based in Tunisia, is also expected to discuss efforts to bring the various Palestinian factions, including militant, under one umbrella in the post-Arafat era. Kaddoumi said Palestinian efforts to form a national front to group all Palestinian factions are continuing, adding "the dangers we face pressure us clearly and frankly to gather all factions, no matter how small. In the coming period there will be a national front, God willing." |